Central & Sheung Wan

Central — the Financial Center

Central is the heart of business Hong Kong — a forest of skyscrapers where the Bank of China (I.M. Pei's geometric masterpiece), the HSBC Building (Norman Foster's high-tech icon), and the IFC Tower (Hong Kong's second tallest building) shine in competition. Among the glass facades: colonial remnants like the Former Legislative Council Building (1912) and St. John's Cathedral (1849, the oldest Anglican church in East Asia).

Mid-Levels Escalators

The Central-Mid-Levels Escalator System is the longest covered escalator system in the world: 800 m long, 135 meters in height, 20 escalators in a row. From Queens Road Central to Conduit Road in the Mid-Levels. In the morning (6–10 am), the escalators go downhill (commuters), the rest of the day uphill. Along the way: SoHo with its restaurants, galleries, street art, and the scent of international street food.

Sheung Wan — Antiques and Temples

Sheung Wan is the cultural counterpart to Central — here it gets more authentic: The Hollywood Road (one of Hong Kong's oldest streets) is lined with antique shops, galleries, and the Man Mo Temple (1847) — Hong Kong's most photogenic temple with giant spiral incense coils hanging from the ceiling, bathing the interior in mystical smoke. Free. In the side streets: Dried Seafood Shops (dried seafood and herbal medicine), Cat Street (flea market), and the PMQ (former police quarters, now a creative hub with design shops and pop-up restaurants).